“I don’t think you can draw any quick conclusions other than the fact that we lost and we know that.”
— RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, in an interview on CNN, saying it’s necessary “to a full autopsy of what happened.”
Bristol Palin Reality Show Received State Subsidies
The company that made Bristol Palin’s reality TV show about raising her child has collected a $354,348 subsidy from the state of California, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.
Obama Approach Favored in Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds President Obama holds a substantial advantage over House Speaker John Boehner in handling budget negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff: Nearly twice as many Americans approve of the president’s work on the issue so far as favor the speaker’s approach.
Meanwhile, a new Bloomberg poll finds Obama has won the public argument over taxes so decisively that almost half of Republicans now say he has an election mandate to raise rates on the rich.
Can Boehner Round Up the Votes for a Deal?
New York Times: “With negotiations quickening on Tuesday to prevent a year-end fiscal crisis, White House officials once again are confronting a vexing question: Can Speaker John Boehner deliver enough Republican votes for whatever deficit-reduction plan he and President Obama might decide?”
“Eighteen months ago the White House was forced to answer in the negative after secret negotiations between the two leaders collapsed once word leaked of their tentative deal, with its proposed revenue increases. But once again, Mr. Obama must put his fate in Mr. Boehner’s hands on the issue that will help define the president’s second term, and his legacy.”
Obama Approval Jumps to Highest in Three Years
A new Bloomberg poll finds President Obama’s job approval has strengthened to 53%. The last time he enjoyed that level of public backing was December 2009, when his job approval was 54%.
Cuomo Approval Hits Another High
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York finds Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) with a stunning 74% to 13% approval rating, his highest score ever and continuing his six-month string of 70+ percent ratings.
His approval is 68% to 18% among Republicans, 82% to 9% among Democrats and 70% to 12% among independent voters.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m pretty confident that Republicans would not hold middle class taxes
hostage to trying to protect tax cuts for high-income individuals.”
— President Obama, in an interview with ABC News, on the fiscal cliff negotiations.
Double Down
Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, who wrote the best seller Game Change, about the 2008 presidential campaign, will publish a book about the just-concluded election under the title Double Down: Game Change 2012, the New York Times reports.
The book will be out in fall 2013.
White House Will Include Corporate Taxes in Deal
President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner “spoke by phone after exchanging new proposals to avert the ‘fiscal cliff’ as negotiations intensified ahead of the end-of-year deadline,” Reuters reports.
“The conversation and exchange of counteroffers over the last two days are the latest sign of possible progress in efforts to avert the automatic steep tax hikes and spending cuts set for January 1 unless Congress intervenes.”
Meanwhile, the the Wall Street Journal says the White House has told Republicans “it would include an overhaul of the corporate-tax code as part of any deal to reduce the deficit, people familiar with the talks said, putting a major priority for business groups on the table as part of the intensifying negotiations.”
Michigan Governor Signs Anti-Union Law
Without ceremony, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said he signed two bills tonight making Michigan the nation’s 24th right-to-work state, the Detroit News reports.
Kochs Delay Post-Election Meeting
National Review reports the Koch brothers “will postpone their semi-annual meeting, which
was originally scheduled to be held next month. It will now be held in
April. In an e-mail to friends, Charles Koch says he wants to reflect on
the results, and on election data, before he huddles with fellow
business leaders.”
McConnell is Least Popular Senator in the Country
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky finds Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) with a lowly 37% to 55% approval rating, the worst favorable/unfavorable numbers of any senator the country.
Nonetheless, he leads all of the Democrats tested against him in a 2014 race: Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson (D), Attorney General Jack Conway (D), and actress Ashley Judd all trail McConnell by four points, 47% to 43%.
“The reason McConnell does decently well in the head to head match ups despite his poor approval numbers is that even though a lot of Republicans dislike him, most of them would still vote for him in a general election before they would support a Democrat.”
Why Hillary Clinton Would be Strong in 2016
Nate Silver sees Hillary Clinton’s high favorability numbers falling if she moves to run for president in 2016 because Republicans “would begin to criticize her, delicately at first, and then more expressly as the election drew nearer.”
“None of this is to argue that Mrs. Clinton would not have some unique strengths as a candidate. For all the reasons I mentioned at the top, she seems like Democrats’ best bet, perhaps by some margin, to extend their winning streak to three or more terms in the White House. If she ran even a point or two stronger than a ‘generic’ Democrat, the odds would shift meaningfully in her favor, holding other circumstances equal.”
“Perhaps Mrs. Clinton’s most impressive attribute is her ability to withstand criticism — and often emerge the stronger from it. If she runs for president again, she will surely receive plenty of it.”
The Week: Why Republicans are really scared of Hillary Clinton.
Michigan Passes Right-to-Work Legislation
In dramatic fashion, the Michigan House of
Representatives has approved the controversial right-to-work legislation
despite thousands of rowdy protesters outside the Capitol, the Detroit News reports.
The bill is expected to advance to Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) desk soon, however, the Detroit Free Press says he’s not likely to sign the legislation today.
Greg Sargent: “But union operatives think there is another mechanism by which the law
can be challenged. According to one good government group’s analysis
of the state constitution, there exists the option of the ‘statutory
initiative,’ which would be forced by the collecting of signatures equal
to at least eight percent of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial
election.”
Haley’s Senate Shortlist
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has whittled down the list of people she is considering for Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat to five people, CNN reports.
Her final choices: Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), former state Attorney General Henry McMaster (R), former South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford (R) and attorney Catherine Templeton (R).
“One thing they have in common: a warm personal relationship with the governor, who is known to prize loyalty.”
Sotomayor Memoir Leaked
The AP obtained an early copy of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s “unusually personal” memoir to be published early next year in which she says “that her lifelong battle against diabetes and the fear that she might die early played a big part in her decision not to have children.”
The memoir, My Beloved World, earned Sotomayor an advance of $1.2 million and will be published simultaneously in English and Spanish.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“A lot of us are campaign officials — or campaign professionals — and we want to do everything we can to help our side. Sometimes we think that’s voter ID, sometimes we think that’s longer lines — whatever it may be.”
— GOP campaign consultant Scott Tranter, quoted by the Huffington Post.
Haley Trails in Possible Rematch in South Carolina
A new Public Policy Polling survey in South Carolina finds Gov. Nikki Haley (R) running behind her 2010 opponent Vincent Sheheen (D) in a possible rematch, 46% to 44%.
The good news for Haley is that she does not look terribly vulnerable to a primary challenger with Republicans wanting her as their nominee, 53% to 37%.
